Christoph Nabholz

COVID-19 is a disease we have yet to fully understand. Most people who contract it will experience a moderate to asymptomatic infection. But some survivors will suffer potentially serious long-term conditions. What does this mean for insurers?

Key takeaways:

The global scale of COVID-19 suggests there will be millions of survivors with long-term conditions.
Their symptoms fall into various groups, including ventilation recovery, organ damage, increased frailty, mental… Mehr anzeigen

COVID-19 is a disease we have yet to fully understand. Most people who contract it will experience a moderate to asymptomatic infection. But some survivors will suffer potentially serious long-term conditions. What does this mean for insurers?

Key takeaways:

The global scale of COVID-19 suggests there will be millions of survivors with long-term conditions.
Their symptoms fall into various groups, including ventilation recovery, organ damage, increased frailty, mental health difficulties, and those with unpredictable post-virus fatigue symptoms.
Long-term organ damage done by COVID-19 may impact future morbidity and mortality expectations for insurers.
Insurers may see claims for additional healthcare, costs for rehabilitation, lost earnings, and care costs for increased frailty.
Insurers should look at their long-term claim trends and into portfolio profitability to anticipate the scars COVID-19 will leave on the population's health and to improve help for survivors and factor in costs for healthcare providers and payees.

The long-term health risks from COVID-19 have yet to be quantified, but from what we know so far, there is both good and worrying news for survivors. Weniger anzeigen

Once infection has taken place, COVID-19 becomes a battle at the cellular level; and each individual's cellular response has proved highly heterogeneous. This paper builds on our previous research into excess mortality, taking a deeper dive to help better understand the risks and "many faces" of COVID-19.

Using extensive data mining of electronic health records, researchers have established that age, gender and underlying preconditions are all risk factors that affect the level of… Mehr anzeigen

Once infection has taken place, COVID-19 becomes a battle at the cellular level; and each individual's cellular response has proved highly heterogeneous. This paper builds on our previous research into excess mortality, taking a deeper dive to help better understand the risks and "many faces" of COVID-19.

Using extensive data mining of electronic health records, researchers have established that age, gender and underlying preconditions are all risk factors that affect the level of illness from COVID-19. Socio-economic factors also have statistical significance in the severity of the disease; as does genetic susceptibility, prior infection history and strength of the immune system. Improved understanding of these vulnerabilities will allow public health authorities to better target resources; will provide re/insurers with greater oversight of their own portfolios; and will support forward looking modelling and contingency planning. Weniger anzeigen

Recent decades have seen massive advancements in genomic medicine. This has resulted in establishing a wealth of disease associations with genetic variances in the genome. At the same time, the extensive use of genome analysis tools has resulted in a massive decrease in the cost of genome sequencing. Today, genetic testing companies are offering full genome sequencing for below USD 1000. The growing availability and utility of genetic information is becoming an increasingly important aspect of… Mehr anzeigen

Recent decades have seen massive advancements in genomic medicine. This has resulted in establishing a wealth of disease associations with genetic variances in the genome. At the same time, the extensive use of genome analysis tools has resulted in a massive decrease in the cost of genome sequencing. Today, genetic testing companies are offering full genome sequencing for below USD 1000. The growing availability and utility of genetic information is becoming an increasingly important aspect of modern personalised medicine, due to the ability to deliver patient-tailored health care based on an individual’s genetic makeup. The emerging field of epigenetics, studying dynamically evolving changes in gene expression in response to environmental stresses, has added an additional layer of complexity to our understanding of the genome. As with genomic studies, current epigenetic research is rapidly evolving into potential clinicalapplications.The latest advances in genetic science will improve disease diagnosis and aid in guiding and applying personalised treatment and prevention plans. These advances include liquid biopsy, which identifies cancer cells or DNA in bodily fluids, requiring minimally invasive extraction; and the development of CRISPR technology, which allows precise and efficient gene editing in any organism. These new tools and techniques, combined with the growing availability of genomic information and new predictive methodologies, are entering clinical practice. They will challenge how we as insurers define disease; how we structure and price our policies; and how we sustainably provide our products and services to our customers. Weniger anzeigen

Liquid biopsy is a new blood test used that could help detect and treat cancer. This new molecular technology has been developed to capture and analyse genetic material that tumour cells release into the blood with potentially high specificity and sensitivity. It is easy to obtain a blood sample, which makes this concept promising as a less invasive complement to traditional tissue biopsy techniques. It has the potential to transform clinical practice by providing an effective personalised… Mehr anzeigen

Liquid biopsy is a new blood test used that could help detect and treat cancer. This new molecular technology has been developed to capture and analyse genetic material that tumour cells release into the blood with potentially high specificity and sensitivity. It is easy to obtain a blood sample, which makes this concept promising as a less invasive complement to traditional tissue biopsy techniques. It has the potential to transform clinical practice by providing an effective personalised medicine platform. Ultimately liquid biopsies could bring substantial benefits to cancer patients and improve survival outcomes. However, they also create new risks and exposures for life and health insurers, particularly for critical illness (CI) and cancer products. Similar to other new screening tools introduced into clinical practice, liquid biopsy has the potential to increase cancer incidence rates, and affect the number of CI or standalone cancer product claims. This risk is especially pronounced where long-term guarantees are in place. This article discusses the current status and clinical applications of liquid biopsy, and the potential implications and considerations for insurers. What are the potential impacts on CI business? How can the industry manage these new risk exposures in order to ensure we continue to provide sustainable products for those who need them the most? Weniger anzeigen

The cost of sequencing an individual’s genome has fallen exponentially, so that genetics has started to become an integral part of clinical practice. This has provided physicians with a valuable diagnostic and in some cases a predictive pre-symptomatic tool, which they can use more effectively to manage patients’ diseases and even take preventive actions. The exponential fall in the price of genome analysis tools has also led to the robust growth of a direct-to-consumer market (DTC), allowing… Mehr anzeigen

The cost of sequencing an individual’s genome has fallen exponentially, so that genetics has started to become an integral part of clinical practice. This has provided physicians with a valuable diagnostic and in some cases a predictive pre-symptomatic tool, which they can use more effectively to manage patients’ diseases and even take preventive actions. The exponential fall in the price of genome analysis tools has also led to the robust growth of a direct-to-consumer market (DTC), allowing individuals to access quickly and cheaply their genetic profile. Insurers broadly welcome the increased clinical use of genetic services, as it can result in effective personalised treatments and preventive actions taken for patients. Insurers are, however, aware that there are some risks with the increased availability of genetic information. Most prominent of these is an information asymmetry. If individuals have access to genetic data that their insurer does not, it could be the basis of non-disclosure and anti-selection. Moreover, the effects of anti-selection could be amplified by different regulatory approaches to the use and disclosure of genetic tests for underwriting purposes. This paper frames the concerns of the insurance industry, and how important the right approach and incentives will be in ensuring the effective use of genetic data in health and insurance contexts. Weniger anzeigen

Regions undergoing rapid economic development are experiencing a pandemic of non-communicable diseases, both metabolic and cardiovascular. These are challenging public health provisions and insurance funding models. Hence it is vital to understand why certain risk factors drive morbidity and mortality. From the vast amount of information now readily available on risk factors in developed economies, we can conclude where efforts must be focussed to reduce the incidence of associated disease and… Mehr anzeigen

Regions undergoing rapid economic development are experiencing a pandemic of non-communicable diseases, both metabolic and cardiovascular. These are challenging public health provisions and insurance funding models. Hence it is vital to understand why certain risk factors drive morbidity and mortality. From the vast amount of information now readily available on risk factors in developed economies, we can conclude where efforts must be focussed to reduce the incidence of associated disease and death. Weniger anzeigen

Lost life expectancy due to air pollution in China
Chronic diseases in India
Health risk factors in Brazil
Risk factors for cardiovascular disease in Brazil and China
SEARCH – The search for health data and insights from high growth markets

Genetic research is at the forefront of personalised medicine: it will allow consumers a better understanding of their own disease risk profile, so they may modify their behaviour accordingly; and it will allow clinicians to provide more tailored diagnoses and treatments. It also raises issues of the privacy of genetic data, which are currently being addressed by national regulators. This is of particular significance for the private life insurance industry.

Over the past 150 years, life expectancy among the world’s population has increased by more
than 30 years. The question then naturally arises, why has this happened? Why do we
live longer? Can the current trend continue and, if so, to what extent? What are the drivers
of longevity? In this publication, you will find a broad overview of the current state of
knowledge on the mechanisms and drivers of longevity.

Private insurance relies upon the use of objective, relevant and reliable data for insurance pricing purposes.

It is important that governments and regulators understand the principles of the private insurance pricing process, as they seek to increase indursty regulation and legislation, especially in relation to the issues of discrimination, privacy and entitlement.

The publication provides an overview on: the private insurance pricing and risk selection process; the legal and… Mehr anzeigen

Private insurance relies upon the use of objective, relevant and reliable data for insurance pricing purposes.

It is important that governments and regulators understand the principles of the private insurance pricing process, as they seek to increase indursty regulation and legislation, especially in relation to the issues of discrimination, privacy and entitlement.

The publication provides an overview on: the private insurance pricing and risk selection process; the legal and regulatory environment; the process of establishing evidance based ratings. Weniger anzeigen